[naviga:h3]Penn State building damaged by fire[/naviga:h3]

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State said a late-night fire damaged a classroom and left the building smelling like smoke.

The university said the accidental fire late Tuesday was contained to a first-floor room for graduate students in the Hammond Building.

The university said the building that’s home to the College of Engineering was closed Wednesday for cleanup.

Flames were shooting out of a classroom window and black marks could be seen outside.

It’s the second incident on the Penn State campus this week.

A section of plaster fell Monday in an auditorium during a program for prospective engineering students, injuring at least one person.

Officials said about 500 people were in Schwab Auditorium when the 2-foot-by-8-foot section fell from a balcony.

[naviga:h3]Incline closure won’t start til after Labor Day[/naviga:h3]

PITTSBURGH — Authorities have postponed a nearly three-month closure of an incline that gives sightseers a panoramic view of Pittsburgh.

Port Authority of Allegheny County officials had planned to start work Aug. 31 on the Monongahela Incline, but announced Wednesday that they will hold off until after Labor Day.

The Mount Washington Community Development Corporation sought the delay, saying many residents, visitors, and businesses rely on the incline.

Nearly 6,000 riders on average use the incline on August weekends and about 1,700 people use it daily during the week in fall and winter.

Authority officials said the $3.5 million project has already been pushed back from June due to resident concerns and another delay would push the project closer to winter, when days are shorter.

[naviga:h3]Accused teacher ordered to stand trial[/naviga:h3]

PLUM — A suspended English teacher accused of having had sex with a student has been ordered to stand trial on charges that he tried to intimidate the girl by contacting her with a school-issued laptop.

Forty-year-old Joseph Ruggieri was suspended from the Plum School District after his February arrest.

He was arrested again in March and accused of contacting the teenager by phone and through Internet video chat.

Ruggieri was arrested once again last month and accused of having violated a court order by contacting the student via e-mail in April and May.

Defense attorney Anthony DeLuca argued Wednesday before District Judge Linda Zucco that the alleged victim should have been present to give testimony rather than only a borough detective.

Ruggieri is to be formally arraigned Sept. 15.